La PerdidaNacho González
The Lost. A biologist's quest to rescue abandoned vineyards across Valdeorras—isolated islands of biodiversity where forgotten grapes grow wild and field blends tell stories no single variety could.
From biologist to bodyguard—how Nacho González became the guardian of Valdeorras' forgotten vines.
Nacho González began his career as a biologist, working throughout Spain on both land and ocean. But it was the death of his grandmother in 2012 that changed everything. She left him a small, overgrown, abandoned vineyard in Larouco—an area historically known as O Trancado. Planted with 80-year-old Garnacha Tintorera and Mencía bush vines, it was in poor shape, surrounded by brambles and neglect. While others saw a lost cause, Nacho saw genetic heritage worth protecting.
He set out to revive the vineyard using organic practices and a determination to save the old vines rather than rip them up for commercial clones. As he worked, he discovered dozens of other abandoned parcels scattered across Valdeorras—isolated, hard-to-find "islands" of biodiversity threatened by industrial development and eucalyptus plantations. He became their foster parent and bodyguard, nursing them back to health one by one. When locals saw his overgrown vineyards—grass nearly obscuring the vines—they called them "perdida" (lost). Nacho adopted the name proudly.
Today, Nacho farms 42 small plots totaling just under six hectares, spread across Larouco, Seadur, and the hills of Valdeorras. In August 2024, disaster struck when wildfires burned through the region—over 30,000 hectares destroyed, the worst in Galician history. Nacho lost 7-8 plots entirely, including vineyards for A Chaira and A Mallada in Seadur. But like his vines, he endures. Having recovered vines from fire before (a 2021 blaze in Larouco), he fertilizes the roots and waits, trusting the latent buds will sprout again. "This year is ruined for us. But we'll just have to see what buds, and what the future brings."
"Island wines" from isolated biodiversity—zero additions, scientific rigor, and the rejection of biodynamic dogma.
Nacho describes his wines as "Island Wines"—not because they're surrounded by water, but because each vineyard is an isolated ecosystem, remote and self-contained. Working organically from day one, he employs a biologist's skepticism: while he experimented with biodynamics when farming vegetables, he rejects what cannot be scientifically explained. Instead, he develops his own mycological preparations—working with a Mexican microbiologist and fellow winemaker Bernardo Estevez to create yeast and fungi treatments, acidolactic bacteria, bacillus subtilis, and bio-fertilizers.
In the cellar, his approach is absolute zero-addition: no sulfites, no clarification, no filtering, no commercial yeasts. Only fermented grape juice. He favors tinajas (clay amphorae) crafted by fifth-generation artisan Jordi Padilla, alongside old oak and chestnut barrels. All white grapes see skin contact (ranging from 5 days to 6 months), and he prefers co-fermentation—harvesting red and white varieties together as they grow in the old field blends. "Wines like those who came before us," he calls them—light, acidic, fresh, yet full of complexity.
Despite being geographically within Valdeorras, Nacho works outside the DO, refusing to put the denomination on his labels. He takes issue with the DO's allowance of large-scale farming, the dominance of single-varietal Godello, and the industrialization threatening the region's heritage. This independence allows him to work with "illegal" varieties like Palomino and Doña Blanca, and to bottle wines that truly represent the lost vineyards he protects.
Lost & Found
Valdeorras—granite, clay and limestone at 500 meters, where Atlantic storms meet continental extremes.
High Altitude
The vineyards sit at around 500 meters elevation in the mountainous interior of Galicia. Here, the climate is wildly variable—one day pouring rain, the next hailing, then boiling heat, then high-speed winds. A challenging environment where only the hardy survive, and where organic farming requires constant vigilance against mildew.
Soils
Granite dominates, but Nacho's parcels span diverse geologies—granitic clay, pure granite, limestone, and slate. This diversity is reflected in the wines: the same grape varieties express entirely differently depending on soil. Meu from limestone is distinct from Meu from clay, 40km away.
Vines
All vines are old bush vines (en vaso)—the historical method of planting before wires arrived in the 1980s. These untamed, wild-looking vines grow as small bushes, often surrounded by grass and biodiversity. They represent genetic material from before the phylloxera devastation and clonal propagation.
From the grandmother's O Trancado to the fire-scarred A Mallada—field blends that zig when you expect them to zag.
O Trancado
The wine that started it all—named after the historic area where Nacho's grandmother's vineyard sits. A field blend of 70% Garnacha Tintorera and 30% Mencía from 80-year-old bush vines. Destemmed and fermented in open-air wooden vats. Plush and expressive with olive, licorice, earthy blackberry and vegetal notes. Brimming with nervy acidity and fine tannins—complex, layered, and full of history (~€35-45).
Proscrito
"The Outlaw"—95% Palomino and 5% Garnacha Tintorera. A complex, nuanced chilled red (clarete) that drinks like nothing else in Galicia. Dark plum, kola nut, spice, raspberry lemonade, struck match and musk. Fine, soft tannins deliver an incredibly persistent finish. An absolute pleasure and staff favorite—dark yet fresh, serious yet gluggable (~€30-40).
Malas Uvas
"Bad Grapes"—the union of two varieties conventional managers hate. 80% Palomino and 20% Doña Blanca, fermented on skins for six months in clay amphora (tinajas). Pithy and energetic with subtle grapefruit and spice, underpinned by thirst-quenching wild acidity. Cloudy, yellow-green, flowery with pear and minerals—cidery acidity and light tannin (~€40-50).
O Pando
A field blend of predominantly Godello from a single vineyard, with six months of skin contact in amphora. Generous and rich while retaining great energy and tension. Ripe stonefruit, nectar, baked apple, white flowers and musk. Crisp acidity makes this perfect for seafood and richer dishes like pork belly. Textured, amber-hued, and deeply satisfying (~€40-50).
Meu
"Mine"—a field blend of six varieties: Mencía, Garnacha Tintorera, Mouratón, Godello, Doña Blanca and Palomino. Sourced from limestone soils (though a clay soil version exists 40km away). Generous and lively with nutmeg, plum, and cherry cola on the nose, bright textural high-acid follow-through. A testament to co-fermentation and the complexity of mixed plantings (~€35-45).
A Seara
60% red grapes (Mouratón, Mencía, Garnacha Tintorera) and 40% white grapes (Godello, Palomino, Doña Blanca) harvested together and co-fermented. Big and plush with concentrated black forest fruit, kola nut and herbaceous tomato on the nose and palate. A brilliant example of why field blends matter—the whites provide acidity and aromatics, the reds provide structure and depth (~€35-45).
A Mallada
From Seadur—80% Garnacha Tintorera and 20% Sumoll (a Catalan variety brought to Valdeorras 80 years ago). From organically farmed old vines in three parcels on granitic clay soils. Aged in used chestnut and French oak barrels. Complex, unique, herbal/floral with lavender and licorice. The 2024 wildfires hit these vineyards hard; future vintages will depend on the vines' recovery (~€40-50).
A Chaira
From Seadur, also affected by the 2024 wildfires. A white wine from forgotten vineyards, made in tinaja and stainless steel. Very natural and juicy, expressing the Doña Blanca and other white varieties from these isolated plots. As with all La Perdida whites, it sees skin contact and is bottled without additives. A wine of place and resilience (~€30-40).
O Poulo
From Nacho's highest-altitude grapes—survivors of devastating hail in 2015. A rustic red blend dominated by Garnacha Tintorera. Notable tannins support dark fruit, spice and musk, delivering a complex, persistent finish. Dark, fruity, with red berries and green pepper notes. Clean and elegant with fruit all the way through. The extreme altitude provides freshness despite the power (~€35-45).
Faiquefai / Sumoll Expressions
Explorations of rare varieties like Sumoll (Catalan origin) and Mouratón. These wines showcase Nacho's commitment to genetic diversity and forgotten grapes. Often dark, complex, with sweet-and-sour cherry notes and fresh acidity. Made in amphora and aged in old oak, bottled without sulfites. Limited productions that highlight the "lost" nature of La Perdida's mission (~€40-55).
The Bodyguard
Nacho González stands as a bodyguard to biodiversity in a region rushing toward industrialization. While large conglomerates buy up flat land to plant productive Godello clones, Nacho scales impossible hillsides to reach abandoned vineyards, carrying out regenerative agriculture by hand, without machinery, without chemicals, without the safety net of the DO. His work represents a form of resistance—the preservation of genetic material and farming knowledge that would otherwise be lost to eucalyptus plantations and commercial wine production.
The 2024 wildfires, which destroyed over 30,000 hectares and took 7-8 of his 42 plots, tested this resilience. Yet Nacho's scientific approach—fertilizing roots, trusting latent buds, working with fungi preparations—reflects a long-term view. These are not just wines; they are archives of Valdeorras' viticultural history, bottled without filters or additions. When you drink La Perdida, you taste not just a place, but a philosophy: that the lost can be found, that the abandoned have value, and that science and tradition can coexist in a glass of wine that zigged when the world expected it to zag.
- Outside DO Valdeorras (independence over designation)
- 100% organic farming (non-certified)
- Zero additions (no SO2, no fining/filtering)
- All whites see skin contact
- Co-fermentation philosophy
- Uses fungi & bacterial preparations
- Clay amphorae (tinajas) from Jordi Padilla
- 42 isolated "island" parcels
- Wildfire recovery & resilience
- Preservation of rare varieties (Sumoll, Mouratón)